Dakota Dunes cracks top half of the best 100 courses

The Dakota Dunes Golf Links continues to draw rave reviews.

That’s even after seven years when the course, located on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation, just south of Saskatoon, opened back in 2004.

One of the most recent accomplishments for the award-winning course is being ranked among the Top 100 courses last year by SCOREGolf, a Canadian magazine.
The magazine listed the Dakota Dunes course as the 45th best course in the country.

McLaren Taylor, the general manager of the club, said any type of accolade is welcome news.

“It does bring out the local market and the market from Saskatchewan and outside Saskatchewan as well,” he said of the Dakota Dunes’ ranking among courses in the country.

Though the course is situated on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation the facility is operated through a partnership of three First Nations and their economic development corporations.

Besides Whitecap Dakota, the partnership includes the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.

The golf course is adjacent to the Dakota Dunes Casino, a gaming and entertainment facility covering  more than 80,000 square feet.

Though its latest ranking is impressive, the Dakota Dunes course has had even more prestigious accolades from previous years.

For example, SCOREGolf had listed it as the best public course in its Saskatchewan/Manitoba category in 2009.
Perhaps the most noteworthy honour though came early in the club’s existence. In the January 2006 edition of Golf Digest, Dakota Dunes was listed as the best new Canadian course for 2005.

Golf Digest, an American publication, is considered one of, if not the leading golf magazine.

“That put us on the map,” Taylor said.

The yardage at Dakota Dunes ranges from 5,100 to 7,300 yards as there are five tee decks.

Officials at the facility, however, are not simply resting on their laurels. Earlier this summer all 75 golf carts at the club had a new GPS installed.

The new systems were considered an improvement to the GPS the carts had previously been equipped with in 2007.

Taylor said other course improvements are not forthcoming this year. And he said there’s a simple reason for that.

“As far as upgrades, this golf course doesn’t really need any,” he said.

Numerous golfers will attest to that. They have been flocking to the facility, from various parts of Canada and the United States, since its opening.

Taylor said about 25,000 rounds of golf are played at the course each year.

The club is expected to undergo a noticeable change though in the near future.

That’s because the facility has had a temporary clubhouse since opening its doors. Taylor confirmed Dakota Dunes officials are planning to build a new clubhouse, estimated to be worth $3 million, in the next year or two.

For the past four years various pros have also displayed their abilities at the Dakota Dunes course. That’s because the Dakota Dunes Casino Open has been held annually at the course since 2008.

This event is part of the Canadian Professional Golf Tour.
The tournament is guaranteed to continue being staged at Dakota Dunes for at least two more years as the latest event, which was held July 7-10, signified the first year of a three-year contract to have the tournament at Dakota Dunes.

The latest contract was renewed after the first three-year deal expired.

The winner of the 2008 Dakota Dunes Casino Open was Graham DeLaet, who was born in Weyburn, Sask.
DeLaet is now a regular on the world’s premier circuit, the PGA Tour.

Photo: supplied